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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 149 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 149

    Honoring the life and contributions of His Eminence, Archbishop 
 Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North 
                           and South America.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2005

   Ms. Snowe (for herself and Mr. Sarbanes) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Honoring the life and contributions of His Eminence, Archbishop 
 Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North 
                           and South America.

Whereas His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek 
        Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America and spiritual leader of 
        Greek Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere from 1959 to 1996, 
        passed away at the age of 93 on April 10, 2005, in Stamford, 
        Connecticut;
Whereas, when Archbishop Iakovos retired at the age of 85 on July 29, 1996, the 
        Archbishop had given 37 years of outstanding service that were 
        distinguished by his leadership in furthering religious unity, 
        revitalizing Christian worship, and championing human and civil rights;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis on the tiny island of 
        Imbros in the Aegean Sea to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis on July 29, 
        1911;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos enrolled in the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological 
        School at Halki at the age of 15;
Whereas, after graduating with high honors from Halki, Archbishop Iakovos was 
        ordained deacon in 1934, taking the ecclesiastical name Iakovos;
Whereas 5 years after his ordination, Archbishop Iakovos received an invitation 
        to serve as archdeacon to the late Archbishop Athenagoras, the primate 
        of North and South America, who later became Ecumenical Patriarch of 
        Constantinople;
Whereas in 1940, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained to the priesthood in Lowell, 
        Massachusetts, beginning his service at St. George Church in Hartford, 
        Connecticut, while teaching and serving as assistant dean of the Holy 
        Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School, then in Pomfret, Connecticut, 
        and now in Brookline, Massachusetts;
Whereas in 1941, Archbishop Iakovos was named preacher at Holy Trinity Cathedral 
        in New York City, and in the summer of 1942 served as temporary dean of 
        St. Nicholas Church in St. Louis, Missouri;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was appointed dean of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox 
        Cathedral in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942, and remained there until 
        1954;
Whereas in 1945, Archbishop Iakovos earned a Master of Sacred Theology Degree 
        from Harvard University;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos became a United States citizen in 1950;
Whereas in 1954, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained Bishop of Melita by his 
        spiritual father and mentor, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, for whom 
        he served four years as personal representative of the Patriarchate to 
        the World Council of Churches in Geneva;
Whereas on February 14, 1959, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate 
        elected Archbishop Iakovos to succeed Archbishop Michael as primate of 
        the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was enthroned April 1, 1959, at Holy Trinity 
        Cathedral in New York City, assuming responsibility for a jurisdiction 
        that has grown to be over 500 parishes in the United States alone;
Whereas the enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos in 1959 ushered in a new era for 
        the Greek Orthodox Church in America, in which the Church became part of 
        the mainstream of American religious life;
Whereas in 1959, shortly after being named archbishop, Archbishop Iakovos held a 
        historic meeting with Pope John XXIII, becoming the first Greek Orthodox 
        Archbishop to meet with a Roman Catholic Pope in 350 years;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a dynamic participant in the contemporary 
        ecumenical movement for Christian unity, serving for nine years as 
        President of the World Council of Churches and piloting Inter-Orthodox, 
        Inter-Christian, and Inter-Religious dialogues;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos vigorously supported the passage of the Civil Rights 
        Act of 1964, and had the courage to walk hand in hand with Dr. Martin 
        Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama, a historic moment for America that 
        was captured on the cover of LIFE Magazine on March 26, 1965;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos spoke out forcefully against violations of human 
        rights and religious freedom and, in 1974, undertook a massive campaign 
        to assist Greek Cypriot refugees following the invasion of Cyprus by 
        Turkish armed forces;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 
        the Nation's highest civilian honor, which was bestowed on him by 
        President Carter on June 9, 1980;
Whereas in 1986, Archbishop Iakovos was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor 
        and was cited by the Academy of Athens, the National Conference of 
        Christians and Jews, and the Appeal of Conscience;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos, during his stewardship of the Greek Orthodox Church 
        in America, became an imposing religious figure and a champion of social 
        causes, encouraging the faithful to become involved in all aspects of 
        American life;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a friend to nine Presidents, and to religious and 
        political leaders worldwide, receiving honorary degrees from some 40 
        colleges and universities;
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos presented a prayer at Presidential inaugural 
        ceremonies in 1961, 1965, 1969, and 1973;
Whereas the Archbishop has said of his pastoral work with immigrants in New 
        England and New York, ``I lived and struggled with them to maintain the 
        faith and culture.'';
Whereas in a 1995 interview, the Archbishop said he had accomplished a major 
        goal ``to have the Orthodox Church be accepted by the family of 
        religions in the United States''; and
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was interred at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New 
        York, New York, on April 15, 2005: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) mourns the loss of Archbishop Iakovos and commends the 
        life the Archbishop led;
            (2) thanks Archbishop Iakovos for his service to the 
        members of his church and to the people of this Nation;
            (3) honors Archbishop Iakovos' commitment to the principles 
        of equality, humanity, and peace; and
            (4) recognizes that Archbishop Iakovos was a committed and 
        caring pastor to a whole generation of Greek Americans--
                    (A) whose hard work, determination, and pride in 
                their religious and cultural heritage Archbishop 
                Iakovos embodied; and
                    (B) who will dearly miss the Archbishop.
                                 <all>
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